Rats can take over your garden due to simple mistakes (stock image) (Image: Getty)
Nobody likes the thought of rats entering their garden, which is why it’s important to look for easy methods to deter the rodents. Little people realise, the spring is actually one of the most common seasons for rats to try and find their way inside people’s properties, as it’s peak breeding season, so people need to be vigilant.
This can lead to increased activity around homes, which means you may spot them in your garden a little more in April. However, storing certain things outside can actually attract them, which means you need to be careful with what you keep in your garden and how things are stored away too.
In fact, you really need to pay attention to a few things this spring. Rats could invade your property pretty easily if you leave certain items outside.
As the spring sunshine starts to appear, most of us will be heading to the garden centre to stock up on soil and compost, and more often than not, those spare bags end up tucked under the decking to keep the patio looking clear.
It seems like a perfectly sensible solution but, according to Allan Jeffrey, gardening expert at Ultra Decking, it’s one of the most common ways homeowners accidentally invite pests into their garden.
Read more: Rats and mice won’t come near your property if you place common spice in garden
Compost might be brilliant for your flowerbeds, but it’s also a magnet for rodents and insects, particularly when it’s sitting in the dark, damp conditions that exist under most decking. There are a couple of reasons it’s so attractive to the wrong kind of visitors.
Compost bags are packed with organic material and trap moisture, which creates exactly the kind of warm, damp environment that rats and mice are looking for when nesting season kicks off in spring. It’s not just rodents either.
Ants and soil-dwelling insects are drawn to the same conditions and, once they’ve settled near your decking or fencing, they can be surprisingly hard to get rid of.
Once rats and mice move in, the problems tend to snowball. Allan said: “Nesting rats are a big problem. Their numbers grow quickly, and they’ll soon start gnawing through garden structures like your decking, your fencing and that kind of damage doesn’t come cheap.”
Firewood is another one to watch. “Those storing leftover winter logs under their decking are also at risk,” he added. “Timber that’s picked up moisture over winter is the perfect hiding place for wood-boring insects, and that’s when the real damage starts.”
How to store your garden supplies
Allan recommends a straightforward approach to keep pests at bay.
Switch to sealed bins. Short on space? Decant compost into heavy-duty plastic bins with clip-on lids. These are much harder for rodents and insects to get into.
Do a 60-second check. Grab a torch and take a quick look under your decking for early warning signs – shredded plastic, small entry holes or dark droppings. Catching things early is nearly always the difference between a quick tidy-up and a costly pest control call-out.
A little bit of organisation now can save a lot of hassle later, and means you actually get to enjoy your garden this summer. If you do fear rats are near, contact a pest control expert for advice.
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